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Bergen County · Park Avenue · Rutherford Station · 07070

Rutherford, New Jersey

Rutherford combines a walkable downtown, frequent regional transit and established residential neighborhoods in a compact southern Bergen County borough. Park Avenue and Station Square form the civic and commercial heart, while Route 3 and Route 17 place the borough minutes from the Meadowlands and major North Jersey employment corridors.

The borough supports a full local school system, a busy public library, neighborhood parks, an active restaurant scene and one of Bergen County’s most useful commuter-rail stations for Manhattan-bound travelers.

Rutherford at a glance

Rutherford supports the full NJTGO seven-page treatment because it has a substantial resident base, distinct commercial and dining corridors, public institutions, transportation assets and an active housing market.

19,1322025 estimateU.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

07070ZIP codeBergen County, New Jersey

Boroughgovernment formBorough Hall · 176 Park Avenue · 201-460-3000

2026guide reviewCurrent public resources checked

History & identity

1881

Rutherford incorporated as a borough after separating from Union Township.

Station Square

Rail access helped shape a commuter-oriented downtown and remains central to borough identity.

Park Avenue

The downtown corridor developed as Rutherford’s civic, shopping and service center.

Today

Historic housing, transit access and a lively downtown coexist with regional highway connectivity.

Business & shopping areas

Dining is kept on the dedicated Food & Drink page. This overview highlights the major commercial patterns visitors and residents encounter around town.

Park Avenue & Station Square

Rutherford’s traditional downtown: neighborhood retail, personal services, professional offices, cafés, restaurants and the train station.

Union Avenue

A mixed neighborhood corridor with healthcare, childcare, dining, personal services and residential uses.

Orient Way

Station-area offices, healthcare, hardware and commuter-oriented services.

Route 3 / Route 17 edge

Regional highway access supports hotels, office employment and connections to Meadowlands destinations.

Franklin Place & Ames Avenue

Small-scale downtown side streets with specialty food, coffee and service businesses.

Residential neighborhoods

Primarily established one- and two-family streets with scattered neighborhood services and institutions.

Full Business & Shopping Directory

Parks, recreation & open space

Memorial Park

Darwin & Washington Avenues

Eight baseball/softball diamonds, six tennis courts, pavilions, playgrounds and Tryon Field.

Tryon Field

Memorial Park

Public walking track plus stadium field used by school and recreation programs; field access is permit controlled.

Tamblyn Field & Civic Center

30 Woodland Avenue

Soccer, basketball, football, ball fields, playground and five pickleball courts.

Lincoln Park

Park Avenue & Ridge Road

Downtown green space and bandshell used for community programming.

Walls Field

Highland Cross & Eastern Way

Basketball, baseball/softball, soccer and playground facilities.

Public schools

Rutherford High School

56 Elliott Place

Grades 9-12

Union School

359 Union Avenue

Grades 7-8

Pierrepont School

70 East Pierrepont Avenue

Grades 4-6

Lincoln School

414 Montross Avenue

Grades PK-3; the district also operates its Kindergarten Center on the Lincoln campus.

Washington School

89 Wood Street

Grades PK and 1-3

District resource: School assignments, grade configurations, calendars and registration procedures can change. Use the district’s official site for the current school year.

Transportation & regional access

Rutherford Station

Orient Way & Park Avenue

NJ TRANSIT Main/Bergen County Line rail service; ticket vending, parking and bicycle racks.

Local bus connections

Downtown / Union Avenue / highway corridors

Multiple NJ TRANSIT bus routes connect the borough with New York and nearby Bergen/Hudson destinations; verify current schedules.

Road access

Route 3, Route 17 and nearby NJ Turnpike

Strong regional access to Secaucus, Meadowlands, Newark-area routes and Bergen employment centers.

Community, culture & civic life

Williams Center

Downtown Rutherford

A longstanding local performing-arts and cultural landmark within the Park Avenue district; redevelopment activity has made the site an important downtown-planning topic.

Rutherford Public Library

150 Park Avenue

A major civic resource offering programs, digital services, ESL support and job-seeker resources.

Downtown events

Park Avenue / Lincoln Park

Borough and community organizations regularly use the downtown for seasonal programming and civic events.

Government & official resources

Borough Hall · 176 Park Avenue · 201-460-3000

Mayor: Frank Nunziato. For current council membership, agendas, ordinances, forms, taxes, permits and notices, use the official municipal site.

Borough of RutherfordDepartments, meetings, forms, taxes, public notices and resident services.Rutherford Public SchoolsDistrict information, schools, calendars, enrollment and employment.Rutherford Public LibraryLibrary services, events, digital resources and hours.NJ TRANSIT Rutherford StationRail schedules, station information and parking.